New report highlights readiness of infrastructure industry for digital transformation

A new report assessing the readiness of the infrastructure industry for digital transformation has been published by the Infrastructure Client Group (ICG).

‘Ripe for transformation, ready for change?’ provides a snapshot of the UK infrastructure industry - focusing on the infrastructure owners in energy, transport and water sectors - to help inform the development of a national digital transformation strategy.

The report was led by Mott MacDonald and the Project 13 Digital Transformation workstream – sponsored by the ICG and the Institution of Civil Engineers.

“We are really pleased to deliver this benchmark of the industry’s current readiness for digital transformation. What this exercise has highlighted is that action is required by all owners, and their supply chain partners, to capitalise on this exciting opportunity to move our industry into the future.

“We need to recognise infrastructure as an information-based industry, in which better decisions, based on better data, lead to better outcomes for the ultimate customers – our citizens. We need to start treating information as an asset, managing and valuing it accordingly. We also need to put coherent digital transformation strategies in place that will release the value of information in the delivery, operation, maintenance and use of infrastructure.”

To inform the report, Mott MacDonald facilitated face-to-face workshops with digital leaders and key ‘information people’ from Infrastructure Client Group members and other leading asset owners. The owner organisations self-assessed their maturity against the Industry Readiness Level (IRL), a measure of digital maturity across six broad topics that reflect the impact of digital transformation on all parts of the business: Customers, Leadership, Commercial, Capability, Asset delivery, and Asset management.

The report found that despite a range of readiness levels, common themes were clear across all organisations which took part:

Understand who your customers are – and what they want: Create a line of sight between the enterprise and citizens as the ultimate customers, to understand how they value infrastructure and what outcomes really matter

Embrace digital transformation as key to business success: With leadership from executive level, implement a coherent digital transformation strategy that supports the overall corporate strategy

Break down data silos and better understand whole-life performance: Start treating information as an asset; focus on making better use of information, creating the platform to unlock more whole-life value from existing assets

Keep aspirations high – but get the basics right first: Focus on embedding basic good practice (eg BIM level 2) as business-as-usual across the whole enterprise. Get data quality right as a key foundation

Make information security everyone’s responsibility, not just those in corporate IT: Develop a culture of personal responsibility for information security similar to that for health and safety – both internally and for partners.

The report will be used by the Digital Transformation workstream to inform the consistent development of digital transformation strategies across the Infrastructure Client Group members and the wider industry.